Austin's Adventurous Challenge
by LoriLaner
Summary: It's common knowledge that Austin Moon has girls swooning over him constantly. But the fact that he goes through them as fast as Trish goes through jobs? Only his close friends know that. So, when Dez accuses Austin of being a total player, Austin's intent on proving him right. Thus, a bet is born, where Austin has to stay with one girl and one girl only for an entire month.
1. Definitely Not a Whore!

**Author's Notes: (right...because you can definitely call me an Author.)**

**Hello my Austin and Ally lovelies! This is my first actual published story (probably because I have a million unfinished Fanfictions all over my laptop) and I sort of rushed into it. I guess I always start really writing slowly and watching my word choice, being very cautious of everything. Now, guess what? I didn't do any of that with this one! I really just dove into it after being bored, so please excuse any annoyances that you find. There'll be some swearing in this story, but not too bad, enough to be.**

**Disclaimer: I absolutely do not own Austin & Ally and all rights go to those who work with the show. **

**I hope you enjoy this and if not...well, thanks for adding to the graph that shows how many views I have! **

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**Austin Moon**

"So, you're saying I'm a whore?" I question, stabbing my spoon into the now-melted fruity mint swirl.

"No, I just…I don't know, you're not exactly the type of person who stays with people for too long," Dez reasons, trying to calm me down.

"So…a whore."

"Yeah," he mutters quietly.

Sighing, I get up and throw the ice cream cup into the trash, losing my appetite for the fruity mint swirl completely. I can almost hear Ally's voice inside my head, screaming, _Are you kidding? It's fruity mint swirl! All of it was still left, it was just melted, and you could've eaten it! What's happened to you? _Dez seems to sense this too, and he raises his eyebrows in question.

"Listen, man…it's not a bad thing necessarily, you just change your standards, get interested into different things quickly, right?" he says expectantly.

Uh…no. That's not really it. I just get tired of the current girl and move on to the next best thing. Or…the next hotter thing, per say.

"Sure?" I say uncertainly. "But, Dez, maybe the reason why I'm such a…player," I cringe at the word, "Is because I haven't really met someone worthwhile. I'm still young; I got many ahead of me!" I wink.

Dez snorts.

No, really, he _snorts._

"Excuse me? What's so funny?" I rage. I was being truly honest; I really do have a lot ahead of me! Soon, his snort turns into a chuckle, then full on giggling.

"What?"

"You think you're honestly gonna find someone worthwhile? Everyone you've dated is practically worthwhile, they're all fine. Like Jennie! She's just…great," he sighs, referring to his current girlfriend, Jennifer. We dated for a while at the beginning of summer, but I just broke it off with her, I guess I grew tired. Then, just a few weeks ago, she and Dez started going out. He was really anxious when first telling me that they went on a date, but I didn't care at all. The fact that I never even got on a nickname basis with her pretty much says a lot, and I could tell Dez was thinking this, too.

"Yeah, well…."

"Yeah, well, what? Be honest, Austin, you don't even give people a try! I doubt you've even had a girlfriend for just a month!" he exclaims, slapping his hand on the table for emphasis.

"Nuh uh! What about Brooke?"

"That was like…a weekend. Not even a week."

"There's…Lia! That girl I bumped into at the surf shop! We had a pretty awesome relationship going on!" I smile to myself.

"Pretty awesome meaning kissing each other's faces off? Wasn't so awesome for us, watching that. And plus, you broke up with her after you thought she was flirting with another guy."

"She was, man!"

"She was _paying_ for something at a store."

"Same thing," I grumble snootily.

"Face it, Austin! You go through girls as quickly as Trish goes through jobs," he laughs, and I quickly sent a glare to his way. Okay, _that_ was _low. _

It's not my fault I'm so awful keeping things. I need to change through things quickly, they all start fine but in the end, I always find something wrong with the girl. I'm a judgmental person, I guess.

"No way. I am _much _better than that."

Shaking his head with a smug look on his face, he declares, "Like I said, you can't keep a girlfriend for a week, let alone a month."

"Oh yeah? Is that a challenge I hear?" I cup my hands to my ears, ushering him to go on.

"Well, well, well, I think it most definitely is. I say, if you can date _one person_ for _one month_, I'll do anything you want."

"I dare you to spend an entire day outside in nothing but boxers with hearts on them."

"Har, har, _if_ you can keep a girlfriend for a month. Which I doubt, therefore, if I win, you can't date _anyone_ for 3 months."My mouth drops open in shock.

No.

That is _not_ happening.

But…it would be pretty nice to see Dez with heart boxers on.

"Fine, it's a bet." I choke.

And with a final shake of sticky ice cream hands, my impossible challenge begins.


	2. Someone Should Learn French, Non?

**Author's Notes: (still pretty confused by that phrase)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and all rights go to those who work with and within the show. **

**Bonjour and welcome to Chapter 2! I'll try to update once everyday, probably adding a chapter each night. Thank you so much for all the views and follows and reviews and favorites and whatnot! I posted a fanfiction before way back when, and I got a total of 3 views after a good month, so my expectations were really low this time!**

**Aghhh, I love the internet! **

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**Austin **

"Well…say goodbye to dating for three months, Austin." Trish smiles as she sips her Pineapple Mango smoothie. I just finished telling her the whole ordeal, and slowly, as the minutes passed, the grin on her face just grew.

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I can't do it either?" I whine, with a pouty look on my face. Seriously? Is this what my friends think of me? That I'm sort of dude who entertains himself with girls only? Is that seriously what I look like?

"No…I think you can do it, it's just…with a lot of trouble. Not only will you have to stay with this person for a month, but they'd also better be worth it. Imagine if you had some sort of a dork for a girlfriend…that would be torture," she nods and she really does have a point.

I've been through my fair share of dorks.

There was Grace, who _insisted _that I call her "Gracie", even though I thought nicknames were supposed to call naturally. Oh, then there was Amberleigh, she _stitched _her name on my boxers. Nobody touches Austin Moon's boxers.

That is, unless I let you. But that's a story for another time.

I could continue, but all in all, Miami is full of freaks. I have to find the right girl, one that I can actually stand to attach myself with for a whole month.

Well, I'm screwed.

My determined face must be showing, because Trish lays a reassuring- but awkward- hand on my arm and says, "It's okay, Austin. You just have to look around, see what looks…interesting! Go girl shopping!"

I glance at her hand and suddenly, a magnificent idea blooms through my head.

"Trish! I'll date you! This is perfect, he'll never know, people will think it's amazing, a singer dating his manager! Then we can pretend to break up over-,"

"NO! NO! NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO!" she booms through the food court, stomping her foot for emphasis, earning several concerned glances.

"Austin…it's not that…well, actually it is. But, I'm getting very close with this guy at work! There's a strict protocol about not dating co-workers, but as soon as I get fired, I'm sure we'll be able to…to…you don't really care do you?" she smirks. Well, I can hear her smirk, I'm not really looking at her. Right there, leaning against the Mini's counter is a…a total babe.

"Excuse me, Trish. I have a girlfriend to catch!" I beam, and Trish just shakes her head, tittering.

This'll be easy. She seems like the vulnerable type, but if I do say so myself, she _is_ checking me out. Slowly, I approach her.

"H-hey, I'm Austin! D'you wanna w-walk around?" I stutter, cringing at my pauses. Way to go Austin.

"Je ne sais pas, vous parlez le francais?" she nods, expecting me to say "Oui!" or something of the sort. Hell, no.

"Au revoir…," I breathe out with a terrible French accent and immediately she frowns, the disgust evident in her expression. Well, sooorry, if you were interested, _you_ should've learned some English. Pft. Her being French does explain the hotness, though.

Hastily, I throw my hood on and start to walk towards Sonic Boom. I left my guitar there, so I guess I'll just pick it up and go on home. Without a super-hot French babe making out with me.

Maybe I do have a problem. Huh.

It's fine, I'll just find another girl, it's hard to resist _this_, am I right? Maybe there are some girls chatting near Corner Bakery. Better yet, I'll grab my guitar and start playing near them. A hot guy playing guitar is sure to catch their attention. I have sooo got this down.

Soon enough, I reach Sonic Boom, passing the dancing palm tree leaves that seem to usher me on with the cool afternoon breeze.

**Ally**

"When are you free today, then?" he beams, excited that we'll get to do this. _Finally. _

"Uhm, I get off around 6, do you want to go for dinner somewhere? I heard the new Mediterranean Place off the mall intersection is pretty good," I suggest , trying to hide the scream that's dying to escape from my throat.

I just can't believe it! We're actually getting to do this! It's been a while after the "You're Fired" incident with Dallas. And now, standing here in his cute little classic vest, I'm practically flying because we're actually going on a date! I could fly! I could scream! It's finally happening. I'm still a little surprised at the method he used to come in here. A few minutes ago, bustling into the store with _Of Mice and Men_ in his hands, he grabbed me by the shoulders and asked sternly, "Who the heck wrote this book?"

"John Steinbeck, why?" I glowed at the thought of him visiting me.

"Oh…um, so, the library system. You know, where you scan…books? I was…updating! Yeah, I was updating the information for a bunch of books, and then there wasn't anything in there for this one! My mom wasn't there, no one was, they were all on their breaks. So…I thought of you! I know how much you love reading, so I figured, you'd know?" he finished, loosening his grip on me.

"So, what you're saying is, you didn't have access to something like Google? In a…library? Full of computers _and_ resources? You couldn't even look somewhere in the book?" I chuckled, astonished at my ability to not falter while talking to him. _I think it was the subject of books that got you all confident, Ally,_ I could almost hear Austin laughing in my head.

"I'm guessing that wasn't as believable as I thought it was, right?" he cringed endearingly.

"N-nope." Ah, there was the usual Ally-stutter. I truly did not care, though, _he came over here to talk to me! _With a pretty lame excuse, _but to talk to me! To me, Ally Dawson, to set up a date! _

And now, here I am, staring at this beautiful boy, drumming my fingers on the book while he texts his Mom and asks her if he can take his break a little early today.

"My mom says it's fine, as long as I make up for it later. Benefits of working for your parents, I guess, right?"

Uh…no, he clearly hasn't met my Dad yet. But I nod anyway.

"So…until 6 o'clock then! Can't wait!" I grin, still not believing the way things have gone.

"Me neither!" he says, and before I even see it coming, he reaches in for a hug, wrapping his arms around my small frame. He smells like ink and fresh paper.

Mmm.

From behind me I can hear the sound of the door opening and loud footsteps resonating through the store. Pulling back a little, I smile delightedly and say, "I should go, customers and all. See y-"

"Ally, you here? S'me, where the hell did you put my…oh," he shuts up after seeing what position Dallas and I are in.

"Heyyy, Austin…," Dallas mutters quietly.


	3. A Literal Love Triangle

**Author's Notes: (actually, I can get used to the sound of that, now, teehee)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah blah blah, does anyone know if I have to say that for every chapter? Haha, thanks.**

**Okay, here you go you gorgeous cupcakes! Can I just take a moment to say, MERCI BEAUCOUP! GRACIAS! DANKE! TODA! SUKRIA! ARIGATO! OBRIGADO! ASANTE! and...THANK YOU! Oh gosh, I love you, I love you, I love you. **

**You know how you hate it when people tell you to review your stories, cuz it just sounds so cliche? **

**Yep, I'm going to be like that! Please please please, with a cherry on top of your pants sundae (hehe), tell me what you thought! What you liked, disliked, anything! You could say, "Hi, I really hate this, you should be ashamed of yourself," and I'll still be happy because I get another review! Mwah! I updated for you people! :D**

* * *

**Ally**

You know how in the movies, when someone says something really absurd, and then everyone in the room turns to stare at them? The whole room just goes quiet, and everyone just stops all their conversations, daring you to continue talking, because now you've got the whole place interested?

Yeah.

That would be a very accurate description of what just happened in Sonic Boom.

"Uhm…behind the stairs, it's hidden there. I t-tuned it for you, knock y-yourself out…," I shut my eyes tight while saying this. I will not look. I will not look.

Quickly, he shuffles over to the side and snatches the darned thing up quickly, and people slowly start to get back to their business.

"Aww, sick, did you go to Eflat tuning? Thanks, totally needed that for the new song! I love you!" he pumps his fist in the air, then claps me on the back while still in Dallas' arms. Ow.

Wait, wait, he loves me? What sort of idiot brings out the l word when I'm with Dallas? Now, he's going to get the wrong idea, and…oh shoot.

**Dallas**

He loves her? What sort of idiot brings the l word out when we're hugging, what the hell?

**Austin**

I love her? Psh, no. But the look on Dallas' face? I sure loved that.

Walking out, trying hard not to burst out laughing, I reach the little palm tree near Corner Bakery. It's really quiet. Hmm, no girls now.

Shoot.

I really have no chance at this. Dez meant for me to find a girl on the day we made the bet, and it's already been like twenty four hours. I'm screwed, Trish was right, I'll have to say goodbye to dating for three months. That means no more…and none of that…but I loved it when we'd…aw.

There's no one out here, maybe my reputation as a player really got out. I don't know, but there has to be someone willing to do this. I'll do anything, other than back down off the bet. First, Dez won't let me, and number two, a man _never_ backs down off a bet. _Never. _I won't live that one down.

What am I supposed to freaking do? Walk up to someone and _tell_ them about the bet, so they feel sorry for me? No one really falls for that stuff, not unless they're really sensitive and overly-empathetic.

Hmm…

Huh.

…

Oh. This is going to be good.

**Ally**

"No."

"It's just a month, no one'll find out, it's fine-"

"No."

"Come on, you can go back to-"

"Did you hear me at all? No!" I absolutely cannot believe him. He _saw_ how I hugged him. He _knows_ how long I've been pining after Dallas. He _should_ be a supportive friend and understand where I'm going with this!

"How could you be so selfish, Ally! I can't back down!"

Oh, he did not just go there. But judging by his serious expression, he definitely just did.

Bringing my hand up, I bring it upon his face, an ear-splitting slap echoing through the store. Thank god no one's here now.

"OUCH! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" he yelps angrily.

"For being such a jerk, Austin! Oh, oh, god, it's stinging red, here sit, let me get you some ice. Aghhh," I cringe. Okay, so maybe that was a little bit uncalled for. I rush up the stairs and grab an ice pack from the freezer in the practice room. It's been used a lot, lately. Trampling down the stairs quickly, I throw it to him, and after putting it to his face, his expression immediately softens.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, but…but…you honestly can't think like that!" I shriek.

Nodding his head, he ushers me to continue on.

"Look…I can see where you're coming from, you don't want to back down. I get it, I understand. But…it's Dallas for crying out loud! On the one day that we actually get the chance to go out on a date? That's when you decide to ask me? Please…I've been waiting for this for so long, I don't want to give it up after all this, you know?" I say softly, as a sort of compensation for my rash actions before.

His eyebrows knit together and right when I think he's going to say that he understands, he says, "Nope. I really don't know what you mean."

Ugh.

"Honestly. I don't get it. Why don't you just go out with me for this one month, tell Dallas that you're just not feeling it with him, then go out with him later after we're over? It's a fool proof plan," he shrugs, clearly thinking that this solution was obvious.

"Most people aren't as desperate as the girls who want to go with you, Austin. Maybe you can get away with that and still get the date, but I doubt I'll be able to. Love doesn't work like that, you can't put someone on hold!" I screech. Does he honestly think that relationships work like that?

"Love works that way for me."

"You know, suddenly, I'm starting to realize why Dez called you whore," I scoff sarcastically. I can tell that one hit him.

Silence.

"You know what, fine. Go out with Dallas, I'll see you around. Later," he hangs his head low and walks over out of the store, once again.

Huh.

Wayyy to go, Ally.

**Austin**

I guess someone wasn't all that empathetic. More selfish than empathetic.

Sigh.

No, no, she's right. I can't believe I went there, I knew that when I called her selfish, it was wrong. Ally's anything but selfish. She's kind, smart, willing to help anyone. I'm the selfish one.

Ughhh, I really screwed up. Okay. I know what I have to do. Running through the mall, searching for Dez, I finally find him talking to Jennie in the food court, showing her his newly improved Gingerbread House.

Let's do this, Moon.

**Ally**

Why do I feel so awful? Did I just…but it was for a good cause, right? Maybe I should…no. No.

If he was ever going to become my boyfriend, he'd care about me, and care about how I was feeling with Dallas! Dallas as important to me as the bet is to Austin!

Maybe I should apologize to him. For the slap and all.

Yeah, I'll just go over to him, explain a little bit better, and then continue to be with Dallas.

Right.

Let's do this, Dawson.

Okay, where would you typically find Austin Moon?

Pft, the food court, duh.

Sprinting over there, (then fixing my hair), I spot him hovering near Dennie, Trish's super cute nickname for Dez and Jennie. I'm about to walk up briskly and tap him on the shoulder, when a little swish of brown hair catches my attention.

Dallas.

Now, for a moment, I want you to imagine a triangle. An isosceles triangle, if your math is good. There are three points, and two of them are at an equal distance from the top one. I'm the freaking top one, and there are my two little points, Dallas and Austin. That's the type of position we're all in.

It should be a no-brainer, right? _Go talk to Dallas, Dallas, Dallas_, I seem to be screaming to myself.

Then why am I slightly breaking this isosceles triangle and slowly walking over to Austin?

It's just…look on his face when he walked out made it seem like he was…I don't know, _disappointed_ in me. Oh.

But it's Dallas! He's so cute, and charming, and just flawless, do I really want to give that all up?

Apparently, I do, because before I even catch myself doing it, I glide over to Austin and crash my forehead into his back, wrapping my arms around his toned body, and mutter, "I hate you. I'll do it."


	4. An Arm with a Brain

**Author's Notes: **

**Here you go, guys...enjoy, if you can! I wrote twooo chapters today, you should be grateful! Now there's something to be thankful for on Thanksgiving! **

**Was that as dorky as I thought it was? Aww.**

**Just read!**

* * *

**Ally**

"So. We need a game plan. And, as Austin's manager, I volunteer to do this for you guys, s'okay?" Trish questions eagerly. I'm totally fine with it and Austin seems to be so too.

"One thing, how do we introduce the fact that we're dating? You can't just come out of the blue and tell the tabloids. We need…some sort of incident to get everyone interested. Then, the rumors will pile in, and we can just tell them, right?" Austin pipes up. I'm kind of impressed that he thought of that, looks like he's really into it. Good for him. I'm not.

"Mmm, I thought of that, actually. Tell me what you think: we hold a little acoustic concert for Austin, and then maybe you could say "this song is for a very special person in my life," something of the sort, and then look in Ally's direction. People would get it, you'd honestly have everyone hooked in," Trish explains.

Soon enough, I start zoning out. While Austin and Trish argue about his most romantic song, (it's Heartbeat, you idiot!" "No way, I can totally bring Ally in if I sing Better Together…) I'm just sitting here, playing with my hair. I would've been on a date with Dallas now, if I hadn't agreed to do this for Austin.

Huh.

I am way too empathetic.

It's just…I should start taking a stand for myself more often. Austin's done some nice things for me, but honestly, he's gaining more from this relationship than I ever have. I'm always just so eager to-

"Ally. You honestly haven't heard a word we've been saying, have you?" Austin sighs, reaching over to pat my hand, resting on the couch.

Whoa.

Watch it; we're only dating in public, Moon. We don't need to get all physical, thanks.

"No…no, I haven't," I mutter quietly, feeling my cheeks burn at his accurate assumption.

"Huh, are you sure you want to do this?"

Hmm.

…

"Well, actually-"

"Never mind, you're doing this."

Sigh.

**Austin**

"You want to come on over to my house so we can get ready? Oh, also, I think we should tell our parents what we're doing. Not the bet part, we'll go along like we're actually dating, but just so they know before the media surprises them," I suggest to Ally cautiously. I know she's not too thrilled to do this. But…she chose to, didn't she?

"Mhm, that'll be great. My dad's pretty in-the-know about my relationships," she replies gently.

We both stop to look at each other, our faces mirroring each other as we both bite our lips.

And then we burst into laughter.

"Pffft, relationships and Ally?"

"Oh my gosh, couldn't even say that with a straight face!"

"Someone thinks highly of themselves!"

"Relationships? With an S? Definitely not!"

We keep chuckling together, until our laughter dies down and all that's left are two wide smiles.

"Haaaa, come on, let's walk."

So, we walk side by side, both of us still reliving the moment.

"You know, I meant to say my dad would _like_ to be in-the-know about my relationships, he's pretty protective," Ally smirks, cocking her head to the side to prove that she's telling the truth.

"Mmm, of course you meant to…" I reply smoothly.

And then, I lose all control over my body.

Now, before anyone says, "Oh come on, you meant to do it, Austin," or "It's not that big a deal, Austin, you _are_ dating," let me tell you, that I have _no idea_ why I did it and that it was definitely a big deal.

Definitely.

There we were, just sharing a friendly laugh when my arm decided to grow a brain of its own and do the unthinkable.

It stopped swinging by my side and wrapped itself around Ally's body.

Traitor.

And before you even think to say, "Aw, that's adorable, Austin! Nothing to be afraid of!" let me tell you, it was not adorable.

You know in the movies, where the boy and girl are walking, then the guy pulls the girl in by putting his hand around her waist, so then the girl leans in on his shoulder, and they continue to walk? It's pretty classic; you can find it almost anywhere.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

"Eeek!" she squeals, leaping up in the air a bit, ready to swat away whatever just had contact with her body like a damn fly.

Aaaand then she sees that it's my arm.

You expect her to relax, right? To then lean into my protective lean figure, smiling up at me?

Right. You should stop watching romance movies.

She just gawks at it, like there's some sort of poisonous tarantula that Dez just bought on her hip. Slowly moving her head, she stares straight ahead and not once does she turn for a second to glance at me. Suddenly, her posture stiffens to such a straight angle that the Queen of England would be jealous of her.

So, for 10 minutes, I walk awkwardly with my plank of wood, while she stares forward, as if a little glance at me will bring on the end of the world.

Gee. Thanks, Ally.

**Ally**

It's not my fault, okay?

There's like a pressure point there! On your hip! I swear.

My reaction was very natural, really. I was being pretty nice and all, not making Austin feel bad about touching my pressure point like that.

But, nonetheless, you have no idea how happy I was when we reached Austin's house.

**Austin**

After we step inside, Ally springs out of my grasp, screaming, "bathroom!"

Fine by me.

"Hey, sweetie, how's Ally?" my mom calls out from the kitchen, and I laugh while entering the room, loving how she can recognize Ally's yelling voice so well.

"She's…fine. Look, I have to tell you something, but please don't react that much, 'kay?" I practically beg her.

"Austin, I won't, you know me! What's up?"

I don't know why I'm so nervous to tell her all of a sudden. Maybe it's because of how awful things have gone on the way here, but suddenly, I'm not too eager to let my parents know.

No. I can do this. Just spit it out.

"MeandAllyaredatingwejuststar tedgoingoutsodon'tfreakoutifyouhearrumorsorso methingthanks."

She takes a moment to process this, but Mimi Moon has amazing hearing, so I'm not too surprised when she does this.

"Oh my gosh, Austin, FINALLY! Your father and I were wondering when you guys would date! Oh, now I owe him 20 dollars but-"

"MOM!"

"Sorry to bet on something like that, sweetie, but you have no idea how happy this makes me! My baby boy is someone's boyfriend! Aww!" she jumps up and down, acting like a hyper teenage girl.

"H-hey Mrs. Moon! I think you've…heard now, right?" Ally squeaks as she comes out of the bathroom. Huh, speaking of hyper teenage girls. Great timing, Ally.

"Yes, yes, yes and you have no idea how proud I am!" she cheers, then grabs us both by the shoulders and gives us bear hugs.

"Right, well, I will goooo now, you two must be heading somewhere, correct?"

"Actually-"

"Doesn't matter! Oh, you two go on ahead!" she yelps, then strides over to the backyard door and goes outside, cheering to the sky.

…

Mimi Moon, ladies and gentlemen.

* * *

**Ally**

We walk on over to the Miami beach together, but this time Austin brings his iPod and leaves like a meter distance between us, while he hums happily.

Totally not complaining.

Because…my pressure points and all, we don't like to be pestered. Right.

"Hey Auslly! C'mere! Ha!" I hear a familiar voice yell out from the shore, and sure enough, there's Trish waving with a huge grin on her face, as she sticks her tongue out at Dez.

"I _told_ you they were dating! And now I have proof! HA!" Trish hoots to him, but Dez really isn't listening that much. His mouth just hangs open, shocked.

Austin and I run over to them and Dez just stands there, eyeing us carefully.

"Hey dude."

"Hi…"

Silence.

Still the evil eye, I see.

After an uncomfortable amount of time, his expression finally becomes more welcoming and he just mutters, "I don't believe it."

"Well, believe it, Dez, Auslly is a thing," Austin replies calmly, sending me a glance that says, _I got this_.

"No, I mean, I don't believe it, as in, I think you guys are faking it," he smirks, as my expression becomes petrified.

"But… they're not! Auslly is 100% real, right guys?" Trish nods, telling me to start talking with her eyes.

"Totally! I'm so glad we're finally telling you, Dez," I lie smoothly, and I can tell that Austin and Trish are impressed. That's right, Ally Dawson can tell a lie, don't be so surprised.

But still, the expression on Dez's face isn't that friendly.

"Fine. You guys are a couple. But prove it."

"How?" Austin and I both ask at the same time, and then grin at each other because of how perfectly our voices matched when we said it.

I think that's the first time I've looked at him since he thought it was appropriate to touch me or something.

"Prove it. By doing the one thing that practically all couples do."

Wait, what?

"C'mon, you guys need to kiss!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Mwahahahaha. Was that cliffhangery? I hope so! **

**Thank you once more for everything! Mwah! **


	5. Was it in the Contract?

**A/N: Here you gooo! Sorry it's kind of late, Thanksgiving and all. I feel like I've inflated. Ooof, the things stuffing can do to a person. Could you guys tell me if I did alright with this? I've never really done a kissing scene and, to be honest, I actually Googled how to do them. * sigh * Don't worry, this one was fairly short, later on in the story, I'll get on to truly romantic ones. The whole chapter was short actually. Aww, poo. **

* * *

**Ally**

No. Oh, hell no.

With a startling grip, I snatch at Austin's wrist and drag him to a nearby beach tent, sand puffing up in clouds as I stomp angrily.

"What the hell?!" Austin complains when we're hidden from the public eye.

"I did not sign up for this!" I cry out, sitting on a shabby beach chair, throwing my head into my hands.

"Did you really think we wouldn't have to kiss? What sort of relationship doesn't start with kissing?" he laughs dryly.

Uhm, mine!

"I don't want…why should my first kiss…it's not even romantic," I ramble, whimpering more to myself than Austin.

Confusion dawns on his face as he tries to understand what I just said, and when he does…oh god.

"Your first? Oh my god, are you serious? You're sixteen! You look like _that_! How could you not have your first kiss yet?!" he spits out.

"What do you mean, I look like- "

"Never mind. What I mean is, why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Well, you never asked…" I grumble. Why is he making such a big deal out this, it's just a first kiss, not…you know…that.

"Pleeeease, Ally, do this for me. I know you want your first kiss to be romantic and all, but hey, who better to do it with, than _the_ Austin Moon, right?" he says smoothly.

Dallas. I could be having my first kiss with Dallas, you jerk.

"So? Just this once? I promise it won't be bad," he winks.

I have never hated you so damn much, Austin.

See, you even made me swear.

Sighing, I get up and whisper, "Let's get this done."

**Austin**

Holding her hand lightly now, we walk back over to an impatient Dez and a worrying Trish. Little butterflies-more like crawling cockroaches- erupt from my stomach as I realize that I, Austin Moon, am seriously gonna be kissing Ally Dawson.

I've kissed like a million girls before…so why does this feel different?

I'm giving someone their first kiss, I guess.

"Here ya go, Dez," Ally sighs, before taking two steps up to me, looking at my face, with a look that says, _please don't make me regret this. _

It's now that I take a moment to really step back and observe Ally's appearance. She's changed from the old days, her hair's longer and curlier and her clothes are much more…in. The sun shines in her eyes, making them a light cocoa, staring up at me expectantly. Oh, she's waiting, right.

Leaning down a little, I press my lips down onto hers, getting no reaction back.

"What the hell was that? Austin, you seriously call that a kiss?" Dez scoffs, rolling his eyes for emphasis.

Fine. Watch me, Dez.

Angrily, I grab at her waist, bringing her in close to me, our bodies touching. Forcefully, I crash my lips onto hers, tasting her for the first time. She oddly tastes like peppermint. Hm. She still doesn't react, and I can tell she tries to shrug away. Urgently, I bring my left arm up to stroke hers, as a way of saying _it's okay. Don't worry._

Right when I get tired of the one-sided kissing, she slowly starts to kiss me back, making the kiss sweet and innocent. Gently, she places her hands around my tense neck, playing with the little hairs there, tugging and making it so hard for me not to moan at the pleasure I'm feeling. Ally?

Hastily, she pulls back, her expression vulnerable and fearful, while she breathes deeply, trying to comprehend what just happened.

_I _don't even know what just happened.

"So…?" I question, my voice pitching up an octave, as I look up at Dez.

He's standing there, dazed, with an unreadable expression.

"That…was…ADORABLE! Cuter than Cindy and Derek on-" he starts, naming some random romantic comedy, then stops when he realizes that something's missing.

Ally.

She was there a second ago, holding on to my neck. What happened?

**Ally**

What just happened? I feel like crying and smiling and screaming and curling up into a desperate ball.

In the movies, kisses are perfect, with some sort of rambling girl that just won't shut up until the guy kisses her. She's stunned at first, but then she starts kissing him back and both of them are smiling at how wonderfully things are going.

This was...different.

I thought my first kiss would happen as I would walk home from a date, or maybe that it'd just be a simple peck on the lips. It was a peck. At first.

All of a sudden, Austin just kicked it up 20 notches and grabbed at my waist willingly, stroking my arm and whatnot.

And what did I freaking do? Kiss back and play with his hair.

Ugh, I am such a disgusting person.

A lot of things are bothering me right now. For one, the fact that I did this stupid thirty day girlfriend thing, when I clearly had Dallas with me, really bothers me. Like the fact that I even agreed to kiss Austin, for instance.

But you know what bothers me the most?

Sigh.

The fact that I..._actually _might've enjoyed that kiss.


	6. King of Interruptions

**A/N: It's been 3 weeks you say? Look, I could lie and say that school's been keeping me, but honestly, I'm just way too lazy. I have no idea where I want to go with this so I'm just going to keep going where I go. Probably why this chapter was such a filler. Anyway, how did you guys like Austin & Jessie & Ally? I think it was pretty good, nice merging of the shows and gladly, there wasn't too much Aussie action. ****_However, _****there was a part in the music video where Austin grabs Jessie's arm and they hide in the seats and then Dez is all shocked while Trish laughs? Yeah. Didn't like that part. S'okay, we all know Auslly will happen eventually. Mwah! **

* * *

**Austin**

"This is all your fault!" Trish shrieks, slapping me across the arm.

"My fault? How is it my fault? It's not like I told her to go run away!" I protest, rubbing my arm softly where she hit it. Honestly though, it is Ally, and sometimes no one has any clue what she's thinking.

"You know she's sensitive. She was probably so distressed that she wanted to be with Dallas and then she had to have her first kiss with you all of a sudden with Dallas watching.

"WHAT?"

"Well, yeah… he was behind you talking with his friend on a beach chair. He sort of stopped talking when he saw what you guys were doing."

"Ughhh, well it's obvious why she left now…what are we going to tell Mr. Dawson? 'Heyyy, how are you, just to let you know, we lost Ally! Thanks, have a great- "

"You lost me? What?" a voice whispers as they enter the practice room.

"ALLY!" Trish and I squeal, rushing over to hug her, probably squeezing her to death.

**Ally**

Looks like somebody missed me.

"Where have you been, what were you doing? You know you scared us to death? What were we going to tell your Dad, that we had no idea where you were and we couldn't call you because you didn't have your phone on you, which by the way, why the hell didn't you-"

"Gee, guys, I'm great, thanks for asking!" I answer sarcastically. I just had an emotional battle with myself, no need to tell me of your troubles.

"You know what, it's fine, you're here now, and we're good. I'm an hour late to my new job anyway, I'll see you guys, later, yeah?" Trish sighs, shoving some things inside her bag as she gets up from the piano bench. I mumble a "yeah" and Austin nods, rearranging some of his blonde hair.

As she closes the door, I can't help but look at how out of place his hair looks right now. There's a long piece covering his eyes, but he's not doing anything about it, just strumming randomly on a worn out acoustic. Can he see?

It's just there, making my fingers itch with the impulse to reach over and just move it back nicely to where it belongs. On his perfect head of bright locks.

Or, just his head, yknow. Same thing.

"So, you gonna explain where you were or…?" Austin asks, moving his head up and flipping the hair back. Oh, thank god, he just saved me from total humiliation.

"I needed some time off…."

"Right, the whole Dallas thing. Look, I'm sorry, I promise from now we'll take it slow, yeah? Not too much kissing, just friendly things. I don't want to force you into doing anything you don't want to," he apologizes sheepishly.

What? Dallas? That's why he thinks I was sad? Yeah, I noticed Dallas behind us from the corner of my eye, but I didn't take any notice into that. I guess I was more occupied with realizing that my first kiss was actually going to happen. I still feel awful about letting Dallas down like that all of a sudden. I practically cheated on him, standing him up on our date and then being with Austin. I wonder how he is…hmm.

"It's fine, let's just…move on. I was thinking we could work on this song I started, maybe you can help me?" I question, not meeting his eyes, because I know he's still going to look apologetic. With a nod, he sets the guitar aside and sits down on the piano bench at the same time that I do.

Gasping, I realize that my songbook's there on the piano and that it's been there the whole time.

"Austin! My book! You better have not touched it!"

"Relax Ally, I'm your boyfriend now, remember? Boyfriends always listen to their girlfriends, right? I didn't and won't touch your book," he reassures me, meaning it sincerely.

"Thanks Austin," I smile confusedly. Wow…someone's changed.

"So, it starts on F sharp, then just follow along with me while I go on," I tell him, opening up my book to the latest page. Hesitantly, I begin.

_"Maybe I'm your Mr. Right,_

_Baby, maybe I'm the one you like,_

_Maybe I'm the shot in the dark,_

_And you're the morning light"_

"Oooh, catchy! Maybe we can add a 'whoa' in there. So make it 'you're the morning light…whoa!'" He suggests, singing the last line in perfectly.

"I like it! So, it's in your perspective, obviously, so what else would you tell a girl if you were wondering if you were their 'Mr. Right'"? I add, desperately wanting more to the short chorus.

"Hmm…something about how there's nothing to lose if someone's going to be with me…despite what Dez says," he snorts.

_"Maybe this is sad but true,_

_Baby, maybe you've got nothing to lose,"_ I add, singing in the same tune as before.

_"You could be the best of me, _

_When I'm the worst for you", _he finishes flawlessly.

"We've got ourselves a song!" I exclaim, putting my hand up in the humid air to give him a high-five. Smirking, he slaps his hand against mine, and we pump our intertwined hands down, a little sign of our friendship.

"Holy cow, your hands are so soft...," Austin breathes, tracing small circles with his thumb on my palm, which is now resting on my lap. Uhm, Austin, you can let go now.

With a mid-second delay, he lets go awkwardly, then starts to play out the melody of our new song on the piano slowly. His calloused hands move on the keyboard skillfully, and his ability to create a tune so beautiful given a key is just unbelievable. Before I can compliment him though, he rises from his place and stalks towards the door.

"Ally?" he calls quietly from the doorframe.

"Mmm?"

"Thanks…for doing this you know. It's all really stupid when I think about it but, hey, a guy's gotta-"

A shrill beeping noise breaks through his voice and fumbling, I snatch my phone from my pocket and glare at it.

"Sorry, I-I should probably…" I cringe, and he nods to let me know it's alright. Smiling at him thankfully, I turn a bit to get some privacy and answer the phone shyly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ally. S'me Dallas. What the hell is going on, I just saw the weirdest magaz-" he rambles before I hit the _End Call_ button forcefully.

Ugh.

* * *

**A/N: Oooh, cliffhanger I'm so scared. Goshdarnit, I hate this chapter so much, I'm half asleep and half hyper off tea...so...yeah. Blame tea! **


	7. Bittersweet Boys

**Ally**

"He's running…uh…he just tripped over a rock…smooth…um, still sprinting, still sprinting…reached the fountain," Austin commentates for me as he peers through the blinds in the practice room which has a view of the mall grounds.

"Hey, could you not? Either way, he's going to get up here eventually. Eager idiot," I mutter the last part, slumping down in a chair miserably. There's silence, then slowly I hear a steady beat of clapping. Soon, it turns into a full on clap of enthusiasm, coming from Mr. Moon.

"Finally…finally, you've come to your senses," he smiles through squinted eyes, as if he's crying tears of joy.

"Excuse me?"

"You called him an idiot! You agree with me!" he cheers, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I…I didn't meant to! It just slipped out! He is not an idiot!" I protest loudly, trying to back myself up with lame reasons. Really, though, this was just annoying. Just because I hang up, you have to run like an Olympic runner to find me here?

"Huh, yeah, sure. I know what you're thinking, he's going overboard. You need to give that guy a piece of your mind, explain to him-"

"Austin, he didn't do anything wrong! I'm the one who agreed to date you and ditch him! If I wasn't in this I'd be with him," I pout the last part quietly. I look over to see if he's heard, but all I catch is some muttering.

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing."

"Then…why did I hear words? Pretty sure it wasn't nothing." I retort sarcastically, suspicious of why he's so edgy.

He looks uneasy, staring at a point on the floor, then lets it out a bit louder.

"I said that if you had the choice, I'd rather you fake date me than be with him…no, don't think like that! Not that I'd want us to actually date…because that'd just be…god no!

"I mean, he's such a dud, all monotonous and 'Hey Ally' with that creepy low voice of his. At least I'd treat you like a person instead of an inanimate object," he reasons quickly after seeing my widened eyes responding to the first words out of his mouth.

"Well, I find it great that you treat me well, but I really don't-"

"Admit it, you only like him because he has 'hair that flops the right way and kind eyes'" he replies pointedly to get me annoyed.

"I am the_ last_ person to like someone for those reasons. You have floppy hair, and right now, quite frankly, I'm _realllly_ not liking you! Stop criticizing my decisions, personally, I surely have hated pretty much every blonde bimbo you date but I keep it to myself because I'm not trying to force my-" I flash back angrily, before being interrupted but a deep knocking at the door.

Muffled from the door, I hear, "Ally, open up, I can hear you yelling…."

Great timing, Dallas. Really, just a great job.

With a jerk, I can feel my body lunging towards the closet before I can see it. Or, before I can't see it. It's unnaturally dark where I am, so that could probably only mean one thing.

I'm in a closet. Literally speaking, by the way.

Hiding. From Dallas. Or, more specifically, from Dallas seeing me with Austin. Who knows what I'll stammer under pressure.

"Allllly's not here now, it's just me, Dallas," I hear Austin shouting out to the door. Quickly, the door opens and closes with a click, and while I can't see it, I can just imagine Dallas squinting at Austin suspiciously.

"But I just heard…"

"I was listening to a recording. We recorded a song together, but then she started yelling at me halfway through for…who knows what. She's Ally, I guess," I imagine Austin shrugging. Huh, gotta give that guy props for lying so cleverly on the spot.

"Hmm…kay. I thought…I thought she was up here. D'you happen to know where she could be, 'cause…I'm really confused on some things, and I just wanna clear some stuff up. Or…actually, well, maybe you could help me," Dallas adds effortlessly and I pray that Austin isn't tensing up right now.

"Sure, what's up?" Austin replies smoothly.

"Auslly's up."

"…So you've seen. Look, man, I don't know what went on with her but she just…I guess…well you see-"

"No, I don't care how she went on you all of a sudden. I just wanna know why she's such an asshole, so to speak," I hear him say grumbling, before I step back inside the closet, stumbling on an amp wire. Hastily, I stretch my hand out on some boxes to balance myself. I'm pretty sure that was as loud as I thought it was.

So to speak?

_So to speak?!_

"Excuse me?" Austin yelps, just as shocked as I am. Dallas…swearing? What just happened here?

"What I mean is one second she's all giddy and agreeing to going on a date with me…then the next she's kissing you in a beach. Does that count as cheating on me? I think it does. What's going on, I just want to know," he urges, but almost pleadingly.

"What's going on is you need to watch your language! So she made a mistake, the rational thing is to wait for her then ask her in a nice tone and manner! Not just barge all the way up here sprinting like a lunatic! Yeah, I saw you!"

"Look, she deserves my agitation, you don't just go dating some other guy right after you plan a date with another one! I know Ally has weird reasoning sometimes-"

Uhm, hurtful.

"-But I didn't think she'd be so rude."

And now there's silence.

I can envision Austin bringing down his temper and thinking of a nice way to end this argument with Dallas in his head, I can envision him calming himself and making me proud to be part of Team Austin. I can envision anything but what he actually does.

"Your logic makes no sense, just…get out, please."

What the hell? This is a friendly argument between two men, not some sort of depression movie. _Get out?_ At least he said please. Dallas clearly doesn't take Austin's politeness well and stays silent, from what I can hear.

"I'm serious, man. You don't get to talk like that bout Ally."

"I have my reasons to."

Oh, please, shut up.

"No, I'm serious. You don't get to say that. No one does about anyone, especially not about Ally. Ally is the most caring, compassionate, and kind person I've ever met. Just 2 seconds ago, she was trying to defend you-"

"So she's here?" Dallas questions, and from under the door I can see his feet getting dangerously close to my closet.

Myyy closet, get away Dallas!

Successfully avoiding Dallas' question, Austin replies, "That's not the point. I used to think you were alright, but you overreacting right now just proved to me that you're really not. And you know what, I'm ridiculously glad that Ally chose to ditch you and get with me, because the difference is that I actually care about her."

"What the hell-"

"I deserve her. You don't even come close." Austin spits out bitterly at him, the power of his words bringing out some whispering from Dallas, a "Fine, I'm gone," and a slam on the door.

…

Did he just…?

A few seconds pass before I reach my weak fingers for the door knob and open the door unhurriedly, exposing myself.

"He shouldn't have-" Austin starts trying to reason for his rash actions, but I'm not really focusing.

He…Austin stood up for me. Even though he didn't agree with my opinions on Dallas, he pushed it all aside and defended me. I jump forward and wrap my arms around him, resting my face on his chest. He smells like soft cologne. Mmm. He pulls me closer to him and holds me close, as if I'm about to pull back and yell at him soon.

"Thank you…" I breathe out into his chest gently.

"No problem…it was all truth. He's scum," he laughs quietly, pulling back a bit to see my expression.

"You okay?" Austin says after seeing my quiet state.

Shivering, I reply, "Yeah. This whole situation is just so bittersweet. But hey…you're the sweet one…" I finish lamely, looking up at him with a cringe.

**Austin**

And with her cute little comment, I just hold her closer to me.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I'm not too proud of this. There was some Auslly in there for you guys, a bunch of you kept asking for it, so, there's are some moments :) But still, this story is getting really dull and rushed, I'll work on it!**


	8. Hugging Lessons

**A/N: Don't kill me. Please, I'm begging you! Over a month? Psh, guys, I'm not ****_that_**** irresponsible! Let's just forget this giant gap ever happened, alright? Good! Really though, if you have ideas or requests for this story, PM me or put them in the reviews and I'll try my best to fit them in the story :D **

** And I know you're all just as excited as I am for Girlfriends and Girl-Friends on Saturday! I wanted to start dancing when I saw the promo, but my parents were in the room and...well, that would've been embarrassed. Did any of you catch R5 at the NBC Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular? I didn't get home in time to watch it, but I'm pretty sure it was amazing! **

**Here's Chapter 8, Hugging Lessons!**

* * *

**Ally**

"Hug him."

My eyebrows shoot up and I gaze at Trish shadily, while Austin does the predictable- starts to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck.

"Do you need a freaking ointment? Stop scratching you neck, gosh, it doesn't get you out of uncomfortable situations!" Trish whines, glaring at Austin.

Hmm, it's true, he does do that a lot. Point to Trish.

"I don't see why both of you are so scared to hug each other all of a sudden. You looked pretty cozy when I walked in here."

More scratching from Austin, more cringing from me. I should learn to lock that door. Austin and I were in our…compromising position when Trish barged through the door, stating, "Guess who just got a job- " before yelping and screaming, "Holy Auslly!"

Holy Auslly, as if. Of course I like Austin a lot, as a friend. And I won't lie, there are moments when I can't help but…gape, maybe, at his toned abs or his muscles sometimes…but it's not like that. We're a fake couple, fake dating. We're not _holy. _Needless to say, I was embarrassed. Here I was trying to show everyone that the bet was stupid and that I wasn't very pleased with my conditions, then the next second I'm hugging him affectionately as if I really am his girlfriend. Which, I'm not, of course.

But back to the present. I guess it makes sense for_ me_ to feel awkward, being myself and all, but why is Austin looking so uncomfortable? Does the idea of hugging me really seem that horrific? I guess this is what Trish meant, why is this such a big deal of a sudden?

More importantly, why am I questioning things while Trish stares me down and tries to read my mind…sigh.

"Ooookay, here it is," I let out uncertainly, shuffling closer to Austin.

I raise myself up a bit on my toes, letting my arms wrap themselves around his neck, placing my head on his warm chest. He seems a bit shocked at first, then quickly hugs me back around my waist, squeezing a bit as if to say, _I don't know what Trish's planning, but I'm here for you._

I slide my arms off of him and then sidestep back to my original position, declaring, "There. A hug."

Trish scoffs, "Hah! Let me teach you how to properly _hug_."

Properly hug? Isn't hugging supposed to be natural? I may be no relationship expert, but I know that all the little cute cuddly things that couples do come to them, they don't force themselves to do those things. If our entire relationship is fake, then how are we really going to play it off? I really don't suppose anything will seem 100% real, will it? Can the tabloids catch anything?

"Guys…are you sure people won't find out? Trish, if you think our hugs don't look okay, what about the press and all that? They hire freaking body language doctors! Can't they…." I trail off, looking up at Austin who had his arms outstretched while I was in my reverie. He slowly steps back and tries to smoothly place his hands back in his pockets.

"Look. I know you're scared, heck, I am too. My career could…really be at stake here if people find out. It was a stupid bet, but…god, I have to prove to Dez that I'm not just some guy who plays around with girls like toys," he voices, and I can tell from how he gets quieter that that last part hurt a bit for him to say.

"I know you're anxious, Ally, but listen. If anyone finds out, I'll be the one in trouble. I won't let anyone say bad things about you, I promise. You don't deserve any of that. You're too good, and if they don't see that, I'll make sure they will."

I can feel a smile coming on, and before I know what I'm doing, I close the gap between him and place my arms around his waist, squeezing, because, oh come on, he was just so sweet! He holds me as well, running his fingers through my curls. He pulls back, still keeping his embrace, so my vision is just his smiling face.

"I promise, it'll be-"

"PERFECT!" Trish squeals from behind us, causing both of us to yelp (Austin at a rather high pitch), and jump back from each other.

"Trish! I forgot you were even there! Gosh, don't scare us like that!" I let out, clutching at my shirt to slow down my beating heart.

"Seeeee! Guys, that was the perfect hug! You did it in the moment, and while you might've not noticed it, you were way closer and you kept the hug for longer. _This_ is how I know this will all work out. Don't worry, if you keep at it like that, no one will suspect a thing!" Trish cries, probably keeping herself from jumping up and down and screaming to call Dez over here.

"Yeah, then we're headed in the right direction. Listen, it's getting late, I should really go. I'll be here at Sonic boom tomorrow, okay, Ally?" Austin says, reaching to the piano and grabbing his leather jacket. I nod and smile.

"Definitely, I'll be here. Bye." He's almost out the door when I hear a cough beside me. Austin turns around, chuckling.

"Hah, sorry Trish. See you tomorrow, too!" And with that he leaves.

The moment the door snaps shut, Trish explodes. And I mean, _explodes._

"Holy cow, that was amazing, just friends, as if! The way he stroked your hair, his expression, he looked so happy! And how you made the first move, that was sweet both times, really, I don't even know why you guys are calling this relationship fake, this is so perfectly real, Auslly is real! I can't wait to vlog about you guys, everyone's gonna actually start subscribing me and they'll all love me because I'm the one who exposes you guys and I'll do segments with each of you describing what it's like and I'll do an episode with me and Dez explaining how we feel about it and everyone will love it! Omg, I'm calling J-14 right now, this can't wait, has anyone seen this yet? They won't sense a thing, this is real, I know you like him so you can just-"

"STOP!"

Trish takes a moment to catch her breath, placing her hand on the piano and accidentally hitting some keys. She hums the note, then starts exploding again.

"Oh gosh, music, a video with you guys singing a love song!" Trish squeals once more.

"Trish. No. You know this all fake, whatever you think you see, you're making it up. Austin and I are just friends, you know that," I assure her.

"Nuh uh, I know that there's something going on. I know how couples hug each other, and that was it. That wasn't some ordinary fake hug, it was real with so much emotion and passion behind it! You guys totally have feelings for each other. Don't even try to deny it!" she adds, right when I open my mouth.

"Trish, I will, I don't like Austin! This is all just a stupid bet, you know that. There's nothing special in the way I hug him."

"Mmmmmhhmmmmm."

"Yeah, mhm. Drop it, okay?" I sigh, reaching over to grab my own jacket now that it's time for lockup.

"Sure, I'll 'drop it'" she laughs, rolling her eyes at me. "I guess I gotta get a move on, too. But think about what I said, the signs are looking great for Auslly!" She throws this from behind her head and she quickly skips out of the practice room before I can shout something to her.

Think about what she said, yeah, right. Someone's a little too romantic today.

It's not like I haven't considered it before. A girl and guy being best friends? Of course, I know how it usually ends. But, Austin and I are different. It could never happen.

I just…don't think it'll really work out, even if we did date. No matter how he explains it, I think we all know that Austin really does have commitment issues.

I keep going over what Trish said as I walk home, from the vlog ideas to how she said we hugged with passion. By the time I get home, I single thought reaches out to me.

I know that _I_ don't like Austin. But…what if Austin likes me?

There's really no way, a), he would've told me and made a move already if he did, and b), we could never amount to any good. We're just too different. It's a good recipe in a friendship, but not in a relationship. I get ready for bed, and I'm just about to slip into bed, when my phone buzzes and vibrates on my bedside table. I reach over to grab it when it screeches again, indicating a second text message. I first open the one sent earlier, from Trish.

_You left ur book in the practice room. Dont worry I didn't peek ;) Anything bout Austin in here? _

_Sent at 10:56_

I sigh, ready to defend myself quickly.

_Not at all, but still dont read :O_

This time it takes longer for her to reply, but it's still classic Trish.

_Ur lucky im so nice. But I dare you, Allison Marie Dawson, to think about what i said. Ull spot little clues sooner or later :D_

_Sent at 10:58_

_As if :P Gnight Trish. _I close the conversation, and after her little good night back, I open to see the second text. It's from Austin, speak of the devil.

_Just wanted to say night, thnx again for doing this. See u._

_Sent at 10:56_

I get ready to type back my response, but something stops me. Austin normally doesn't text me goodnight or anything. I can hear Trish squealing in my head, saying it's a sign, but I know it's not. Clue schmlue. He's my friend and I'm his friend. Trish is the mental one, here.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

But, for some reason, I find that I just don't reply back.

* * *

Please review, tell me what you think! A longer chapter for my absence! Again, I'm sorry, but hey, better late than never! I'd hate to leave the story hanging there!


	9. Clue Schmlue

**A/N: Here's Chaptah 9! There's a little surprise for you in there, for you ;)**

**And yes, I saw Girlfriends & Girl-friends, and I have to say I was really pleased. I'd say it was the best episode yet, and you can tell that this theme of Austin and Ally getting together will take a few episodes, which I'm very fine with :) Looking forward to the next episode, yay!**

**Enjoy and try to review, if you can!**

* * *

**Ally**

"Hey, did you get that new shipment on the Beatles Sheet Music books?" Austin wonders aloud as he strolls into Sonic Boom, while I'm arranging bills inside the cash register. I place some ten dollar bills on the counter so I can go over and help him with scouting around for the books, but then…something stops me. Maybe…I should let him get them on his own. I don't want him to feel like I'm really eager to help him or anything, like I've got some sort of crush- no! Austin is my friend, I can help him! Ugh, Trish got into my head and now I'm all cautious, this is great.

Sighing at my craziness, I say, "Yeah, they're behind the staircase, I haven't gotten through marking them all. Here." Then I trot on over behind the staircase to see that Austin's there.

"Whoa! Fast, I see!" I let out, surprised to see that he's already digging through the various boxes filled with sheet music books. Mumbling a "here", I grab the farthest box and show him the top book cover, a silly one for the album _The Yellow Submarine. _"I looked through these and…well, not that I'm doubting your music skills or anything, but they're r_eally _hard, so don't frustrate yourself…," I let out uncertainly.

"Relax, even if it is hard, I'll just keep trying. I can modify things too, I just r_eally_ want to get some of these songs down," Austin reassures me, grabbing the book I showed him and emerging from the underside of the dark staircase. I trail after him and watch as he searches through his wallet to find some bills.

"Austin, you really don't need to pay for this."

"What? Ally, it's only 15 bucks, I'm not _that _broke. I know I just…have some…here…aha!" he says victoriously.

"That's a twenty, the book's only 14.95. Really though, Austin, you work around here in snippets a lot and I rely on you a lot when I'm away, so…keep it. I really should pay you, so consider that your first payment," I smile, knowing in the back of my head how much my dad would disapprove of me right now. Using my own money to pay for his book? _Scandalous! _

_"_That's really not-" Austin starts, before being interrupted by Trish.

"Guess who just got a job at Divine Divination! This fortune telling job rocks!" Trish cries delightedly, then stopping after she sees Austin and I were talking. She smirks suggestively. "Oh, Alllly!"

"Wait one sec, Austin," I sigh, then walk over to the front entrance.

"If you make so much as one tiny hint about what we talked about yesterday, you will never see your oh-so-truthful resume again! I have access and I plan on deleting it if you let this one slip! So shut it!" I threaten, whispering hoarsely, while her eyes widen fearfully.

"Got it. But he's looking through a book now, so he's not paying attention! Whiiiiich, brings me to this! The Great Shahla, my boss, she gave me this book full of tea leaf readings and how what you find in yours can mean about your love life! I got you some good old classic tea so we can test it out and see how it's going with Mr. Morning over there!" she says brightly, pleased with her thought-out plan.

" ?"

"Austin Moon. His initials are AM. AM as in morning. C'mon Ally, you're smart, I'm surprised you didn't figure that one out."

"Oh, how clever, har har. Trish, _nothing_ is going on with Mr. Mor- Austin and me! And I doubt a bunch of tea leaves could mean anything," I scowl, checking over behind my shoulder to see how Austin's doing. Still reading, good.

"You're riiiiight, your loved one has to feed the tea to you! Hey Austin, do me a favor! Feed this to Ally!" Trish yells overtop my head, raising the teacup while I glare at her with forceful eyes.

"Feed…well…okay?" Austin answers uncertainly, coming over to where we're standing, while Trish has one of her eyebrows raised. Because _that's_ not suggestive.

He snatches the china cup from her, and raises it awkwardly, trying to figure out how to do this.

"God, you do _not_ need to do this, Austin! It's just Trish being senseless," I whine, crossing my arms and shooting a glance at her.

"Hey! I am not being senseless, I'm trying to _help _you because you're so-mmmf!" she gets cut off as I clap my hand over her mouth, smiling at Austin, "She's a little out of it, so-" My arm gets thrown off of her mouth, and a loud c_lank _erupts from my bracelet hitting the cup of tea. In panic, Austin drops the cup and it rolls across my arm, shattering across the tiled floor.

More importantly, the tea spills all over my pants. In some very unfortunate places.

"Gah! Oh…oh my god, it's hot, guys!" I yelp, waving my hands in horror. The stinging sensation mixed with the stickiness makes me _very_ uncomfortable.

"Okay, okay, come with me, I've got my car parked out front, let's get you home," Austin ushers, and I look at him surprised, because I expected him to be laughing instead of helping right now.

* * *

Swaying from side to side, wobbling over to the parking lot with Austin is _not_ something I ever want to do again. My legs burn and when I even try to touch my legs, I cringe in pain. "Come on, almost there,"

Austin says every few seconds, possibly trying to distract me from the people snorting and laughing when they see where the tea's spilt.

"It's TEA, not PEE!" I scream at a couple of giggling 8 year olds, each pointing and snickering at me. Cue more chuckling.

"Here, it's the red-"

"I SEE IT!" I squeal, sprinting to an old red pick-up truck that I assume is Austin's. He unlocks it and helps me in, while I get in some "ow!"s and "ai!"s. At a speed that I find suspicious, he hops into the driver's seat and, cleverly, tries to distract me while I moan.

"Soooo, whaddaya think? You like it? I call her Ruby."

"I _think _you're not allowed to drive Ruby," I deadpan.

"Relax, I've got a learner's permit."

"You're not learning right now! You need a responsible adult to-"

"Ally! It's an emergency! Would you rather walk home?" Hmm, he has a point. That shuts me up. Until I realize something else…

"Wait, then how did you get the car here in the first place? _Did you drive here in the morning?_" I growl angrily, while he scratches the back of his neck, averting his eyes from me.

"Let's not think about the past, let's think about the present! And pray we don't get caught," he mumbles the last part.

Muttering a, "fine," I begin to tap my fingers on the worn out seat, the _click click_ of my fingers echoing through the silent car. I start to add in my right hand, a full on drum set if you think about it, when a warm hand closes around mine and causes me to stop.

"Could you not…it's kind of distracting…," Austin says sheepishly, cringing. I nod, realizing that I now have to rely on actually talking to fill the silence.

"So…how've your parents been?" I say aloud, not really knowing where I'm going with the question. It takes Austin a while to answer the question, though.

"My Mom's good…," he trails, keeping his eyes on the road.

"And your Dad?"

His face rearranges into a look of disappointment. Shifting closer to his seat, I place _my _hand on his (toned) arm, asking gently, "Is everything alright?"

"It's…no. We got into an argument last night. Something about…how this isn't right for me, I shouldn't rely on music to be my career. But I've gone so far! I don't even know how he could say that…," he mumbles, pursing his lips when he's done.

I pause, thinking of a way to rationally reply.

"You don't think that way, do you?" he practically begs, looking over at me with those light chocolate eyes.

"No, of course not. I think you've got a lot ahead of you. Maybe you should compensate, try to talk to your Dad. You never know what his reasoning might be, maybe he just… really wants you to work in the family business. Or…maybe he doesn't want to lose you."

"Lose me?"

"Maybe he's worried the fame is going to change you, that you won't care for him now that you have all these fans and everything surrounding you. It's just a thought…," I finish, unsure of what he might think of my idea. He's thinking about it, I can see that much.

"That actually makes a lot of sense…," he nods it over.

"Try to talk him, he's your Dad. I'm sure he'll understand, just reason with him. Remember, he wants the best for you," I smile, realizing that we're in front of my house now. Awkwardly unbuckling my seatbelt, I sidestep out of the truck slowly, relishing the fact that we were on hard ground. Wobbling, I get to my front porch, only to realize that Austin's been behind me this entire time up the steps.

"Well, uh, thanks. I appreciate you driving me here, now I can just hop into a cold shower and see what I can do about the burns, I guess," I let out clumsily, reaching for my keys.

"Thank _you_, for everything, again….I seem to be saying that a lot lately, huh? But really, thanks for helping me see the other side with my Dad. I…I can get how he's feeling. I appreciate _you_," he beams endearingly.

I lean forward to hug him, but he grabs me first, holding me close to him. I get ready to escape, having found my keys and ready to open the door, when he does something that shocks me.

Now, I'm not sure if it shocks me because Trish keeps mentioning it, or if I'm shocked because I really just didn't see it coming, but it definitely shocked me. And not shocked me shocked me, like I was simply surprised, but it seriously _shocked me_, as in my jaw dropped and felt frozen in time, trying to register what just happened.

Oh, I didn't quite explain w_hat_ happened, did I?

Well, he kissed me.

Right when I was gonna pull back a millimeter, he pecked me lightly on the cheek, before straightening up and opening up the door for me with my own key.

I gaze at him, at his face, his mouth, but mostly his eyes. They seem clouded, shrouded and well hidden, like he really doesn't want to look at me. I open and close my mouth, before blurting out the worst combination of words possible.

"What was that?"

He seems startled by the question, (yeah, well so was I when he _kissed _me), but answers smoothly when I stare at him.

"Might as well get started, yeah? No kissing on the lips, but we should try to start doing other couple things too. You don't mind, do you?" he smirks, trying to dare me to say what I'm inevitably thinking.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes, I do mind.

But for some reason I just don't say that.

"No, it's fine. Good night," I squeak, before snatching the keys from him and slipping inside my house. With nothing but the thoughts of what he did and how my legs feel to occupy me.


	10. Goodbye

**Unfortunately, I'm going to have to put Austin's Adventurous Challenge to an end.**

**Things have been unbelievably hectic, to explain my long absence, it's because I went on an unexpected trip to China. Yeah, CHINA, my Dad had a last minute business trip and our family had to go with him, so I just spent a month in Shenzhen, China. (Chinese Disney Channel = EPIC)**

**Regardless, I feel as if now that Austin and Ally are together...my little infatuation with this show just ended and I'm pleased and done. I don't know what it is, I'm just over it****. I'm sorry to leave the story hanging just like that, but let's just imagine that Ally pulls Austin back and they make out, kay?**

**I'm really sorry, I kept you guys hanging on a thread for 2 months and left you guys with this, if you feel disappointed now, just multiply that by a million and you get a fraction of what I feel.**

**Sigh.**

**Farewell,**

**-Lori :'D**

**Oh, I won't completely abandon Fanfiction. I've written some things on my trip and they're little Austin and Ally snippets, called: Melody Diner Memories, Mischevious Plans, Corner of Your Eye and my favorite, Happy April Fools.**

**Ha. **


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